Systems and methods for a graceful push handling user interface

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to systems and methods for the graceful removal of push feeds from a mobile electronic device. A server or the mobile electronic device may remove the push feeds automatically, without any instruction from the user, after the expiration of a predetermined amount of time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to push handling user interfaces and specifically to the removal of expired push feeds.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Push feeds or push media refer to any mechanism for distributing media or feeds where content is provided at the request of the content provider and not the user. Push feeds are advantageous in that the information is sent as soon as it is available without requiring action from the recipient.

Push feeds are used in mobile electronic devices to instantly send information and web links to users. Since the push feeds are automatically sent to the user, unless they are deleted, the push feeds will typically accumulate on the user's mobile electronic device. The user has to manually delete unwanted push feeds, which can be time consuming and frustrating. Some mobile electronic devices permit the user to set preferences related to the deletion of push feeds. Although the user does not have delete each individual push feed, setting up preferences can be time consuming. Therefore, a method and system is needed to automatically manage push feeds on a mobile electronic device that does not require any input from the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In satisfaction of this need and others, embodiments of the present invention systems and methods for the graceful removal of push feeds from a mobile electronic

In one aspect, the claimed invention relates to a method for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device including sending a push feed to a mobile electronic device, waiting a predetermined amount of time, and instructing the mobile electronic device to delete the push feed. The method may further include sending a new push feed to the mobile electronic device, identifying the push feed as new to the user, and/or providing notification to the user as to when the push feed will be deleted. The notification may include altering the graphical look of the push feed or applying a timestamp to the new push feed. The predetermined amount of time may be, for example, thirty seconds, sixty seconds, five minutes, or sixty minutes. In one embodiment, the push feed is a channel.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device including receiving a push feed, displaying the push feed, and after a predetermined amount of time, deleting the push feed. The predetermined amount of time may be included with the push feed as received. The method may further include receiving a new push feed, identifying the push feed as new to the user, and/or providing notification to the user as to when the push feed will be deleted. The notification may include altering the graphical look of the push feed or applying a timestamp to the new push feed. A clock internal to the mobile electronic device determines the predetermined amount of time.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device. The system includes a server for transmitting data having a first CPU and a first interface and a mobile electronic device having a second CPU and a display for receiving data from a server. The mobile electronic device is configured to receive a push feed, display the push feed, and after a predetermined amount of time, delete the push feed. The predetermined amount of time may be included with the push feed as received. The system may be further configured to receive a new push feed.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device. The system includes a server for transmitting data having a first CPU and a first interface, and a mobile electronic device having a second CPU and a display for receiving data from the server. The server is configured to send a push feed, wait a predetermined amount of time, and instruct the mobile electronic device to delete the push feed. The system may be further configured to send a new push feed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These embodiments and other aspects of this invention will be readily apparent from the detailed description below and the appended drawings, which are meant to illustrate and not to limit the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a high level flow chart of a method for gracefully removing push feeds from a mobile electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a high level flow chart of a method for gracefully removing push feeds from a mobile electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of system for gracefully removing push feeds from a mobile electronic device according various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be more completely understood through the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the attached drawings. In this description, like numbers refer to similar elements within various embodiments of the present invention. Within this detailed description, the claimed invention will be explained with respect to preferred embodiments. However, the skilled artisan will readily appreciate that the methods and systems described herein are merely exemplary and that variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Push feeds are headlines or links to more information that may be sent to a mobile electronic device. The push feeds may be customizable or may have mass appeal. Examples of push feeds include breaking news headlines, stock information, web links that are updated periodically, small images such as thumbnails, video files, audio files, and the weather. Since these push feeds are sent automatically and are time sensitive, i.e. headlines, stocks, and the weather change from day to day and even from hour to hour, the push feeds need to be refreshed and the outdated or stale push feeds need to be removed. For example, a weather report is sent to a mobile electronic device on day 1. On day 2, the weather report for day 1 is outdated and inaccurate. Thus, a new weather report must be sent on day 2. Since the weather report from day 1 is stale, it can be deleted from the mobile electronic device.

The claimed invention generally relates to a system and method whereby push feeds are removed from a mobile electronic device without the involvement of the user of the mobile electronic device. Specifically, the push feeds may be expunged from the mobile electronic device gracefully or automatically by either the mobile electronic device or a server that provides the push feeds.

FIG. 1 is a high level flow chart of a method for gracefully removing push feeds from a mobile electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment of the invention relates to the graceful removal of push feeds from the perspective of a server providing the push feeds.

First, the server provides a push feed to the mobile electronic device (Step 100). The push feed may be provided wirelessly through a communication network.

Second, the server identifies the push feed as new to the user of the mobile electronic device (Step 102). The push feed may be identified as new to the user by altering the graphical look of the push feed or applying a timestamp to the push feed. In addition, the user may be alerted by an audio signal, vibration, or other perceptible signal.

Altering the graphical look of the push feed may involve modifying the color of the push feed based on its age. For example, when the push feed is new, the text of the push feed or the background of the push feed is a different color than when it is about to be removed from the mobile electronic device. For example, a new push feed may be pink, an old push feed may be green, and a push feed that is about to be deleted may be blue.

A timestamp may also be applied to the push feed. The timestamp may indicate when the push feed will be deleted or when the push feed was added to the mobile electronic device.

Third, the server waits a predetermined amount of time (Step 104). The predetermined amount of time is the time that the push feed is to remain on the mobile electronic device. The predetermined amount of time may be any amount of time, for example, thirty seconds, sixty seconds, five minutes, or may be one hour or more. The server measures the predetermined amount of time.

Fourth, the user is notified that the push feed will be deleted (Step 106). As explained with respect to Step 102, the notification of deletion may be similar to the notification that the push feed is new. For example, the push feed may have a timestamp or the push feed may change color to notify the user that the push feed is going to expire. Alternatively, an audio signal may be used to alert the user of the pending push feed expiration.

Sixth, the server instructs the mobile electronic device to delete the push feed (Step 108). Seventh, the server sends the mobile electronic device a new push feed (Step 110). In an alternate embodiment, the arrival of the new push feed may trigger the deletion of an old push feed from the mobile electronic device.

In one embodiment of the invention, the push feed may be a channel. The server may send the channel with multiple push feeds to the user instead or in conjunction with the transmission of an individual push feed. The channel may be a plurality of push feeds, grouped according to topic or format. The channel may contain push feeds that are simultaneously sent and expire together or the channel may contain multiple push feeds that are accumulated in the channel, but are sent and expire individually and not as group.

For example, a server may send a baseball channel, a news channel, a weather channel, a business channel, a channel of thumbnails, a channel of video files, a channel of audio files, or any other group of individual push feeds clustered according to their content. The server may automatically send the channel as it does with an individual push feed. When a user fails to view the channel, the whole channel may expire in a similar manner as an individual push feed would expire.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to the graceful removal of push feeds from the perspective of the mobile electronic device. Referring to FIG. 2, this embodiment includes receiving a push feed (Step 200). The mobile electronic device may receive the push feed from the server. Then the mobile electronic device displays the push feed to the user (Step 202) and identifies the push feed as new to the user (Step 204). The push feed may be identified in a manner to similar to that disclosed above. Before the push feed is deleted, the mobile electronic device notifies that the user that the push feed will be deleted (Step 206). The user is notified in a similar manner as disclosed above.

Once a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the mobile electronic device deletes the push feed (Step 208). The predetermined amount of time may be included with the push feed as received. The mobile electronic device may use an internal clock to determine whether or not the predetermined amount of time has elapsed. After the push feed is deleted, the mobile electronic device receives a new push feed (Step 210).

The two methods described previously are preferably implemented as part of a client-server or peer-to-peer computer system. As shown in FIG. 3, such a system 300 may include a server 302 and a mobile electronic device 310.

The server 302 has a CPU 304 and an interface 306. The server's CPU 304 creates a push feed 308 and sends the push feed 308 to the mobile electronic device 310 based upon inputs provided to the server's interface 306. The inputs to the interface 306 may include the rate at which one or more push feeds 308 should be sent, the content of the push feeds and/or the predetermined amount of time that the push feed will be displayed on the mobile electronic device. In one embodiment, the server's CPU 304 calculates the predetermined amount of time and may instruct the mobile electronic device 310 to delete the push feed 308 when it has expired. The CPU of the server 302 may then create a new push feed (not shown) and send the new push feed to the mobile electronic device 310.

The mobile electronic device 310 may include a CPU 312 and a display 316. The mobile electronic device's CPU 312 processes the receipt of the push feed 308 and presents the push feed on the mobile electronic device's display 316. The server 302 may send multiple push feeds 308 to the mobile electronic device 310. The predetermined amount of time may be included with the push feed 308 as received by the mobile electronic device 310. In one embodiment, the mobile electronic device's CPU 312 calculates the predetermined amount of time for expiration of the push feed and deletes the push feed 308 when it has expired. In another embodiment, an old push feed 308 is deleted upon receipt of a specific instruction from the server, or arrival of a new push feed. The mobile electronic device 301 may then receive a new push feed (not shown).

However, this process may be implemented in either a single-threaded or multi-fashion. threaded fashion. Receipt of a new push feed does not necessarily result in the deletion of an old push feed. Thus, feeds may arrive and be deleted independently and asynchronously.

Variations, modification, and other implementations of what is described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the invention is to be defined not by the preceding illustrative description but instead by the spirit and scope of the following claims. 

1. A method for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device comprising: sending a push feed to a mobile electronic device; waiting a predetermined amount of time; and instructing the mobile electronic device to delete the push feed.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a new push feed to the mobile electronic device.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying the push feed as new to the user.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the push feeds comprises a channel.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing notification to the user as to when the push feed will be deleted.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the notification comprises altering the graphical look of the push feed.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein the notification comprises applying a timestamp to the new push feed.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of time is selected from the group consisting of thirty seconds, sixty seconds, five minutes and sixty minutes.
 9. A method for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device comprising: receiving a push feed; displaying the push feed; and after a predetermined amount of time deleting the feed.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time is included with the push feed as received.
 11. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a new push feed.
 12. The method of claim 9 further comprising identifying the push feed as new to the user.
 13. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing notification to the user as to when the push feed will be deleted.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification comprises altering the graphical look of the push feed.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification comprises applying a timestamp to the new push feed.
 16. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined amount of time is selected from the group consisting of thirty seconds, sixty seconds, five minutes and sixty minutes.
 17. The method of claim 9 wherein a clock internal to the mobile electronic device determines the predetermined amount of time.
 18. A system for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device comprising: a server for transmitting data comprising a first CPU and a first interface; and a mobile electronic device comprising a second CPU and a display, wherein the mobile electronic device is configured to receive a push feed; display a push feed; and after a predetermined amount of time, delete the push feed.
 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the push feed is originally generated and transmitted by the server.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined amount of time is included with the push feed as received.
 21. A system for the graceful handling of push feeds in a mobile electronic device comprising: a server for transmitting data comprising first CPU and a first interface; and a mobile electronic device comprising a second CPU and a display for receiving data from the server, wherein the server is configured to send a push feed; wait a predetermined amount of time; and instruct the mobile electronic device to delete the push feed. 